One of the biggest was in 2022 when Chris Waller and James McDonald combined to win the Kings Stand Stakes with Nature Strip, who also had New Zealand owners, including former All Black coach Sir Steve Hansen.
McDonald was one of the stars of that entire carnival but will not attend Royal Ascot this year, choosing to stay in Sydney after a hectic last year of international riding that has included major race wins in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Japan.
The other major Kiwi victory at Royal Ascot in recent years was the Cambridge Stud-owned Hello Youmzain winning the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Sprint in 2020, although owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay were unable to be there because of the Covid travel restrictions at the time.
So this week there will be nothing approaching that level of Kiwi connection to the meeting, with perhaps the best-known horse for many punters being Australian-trained mare Asfoora, who contests the King Charles III Stakes over 1005m at 2.45am (NZ time) tomorrow morning,
A regular in the major sprints in Australia this season, Asfoora is rated a $7.50 chance against what is not a vintage crop of local sprinters and her barrier 17 draw may help as Ascot is expected to be drier than usual this week and that often results in the wider (standside) draws being the place to be in the straight race.
Meanwhile, the Racing Post reports champion jockey Ryan Moore has picked out leading Gold Cup contender Kyprios and Group 1-winner Opera Singer as two of his best chances at Royal Ascot.
Moore has a typically strong book of rides, including Kyprios, who is odds-on favourite to regain the Gold Cup on Thursday, which he won during an unbeaten season in 2022, while Opera Singer is favourite for the Coronation Stakes on Friday after finishing third behind Fallen Angel in the Irish 1000 Guineas last month.
Fallen Angel was not among 11 fillies confirmed on Saturday for the Coronation.
Moore said: “I’m very much looking forward to riding Kyprios in the Gold Cup again. He’s won his two starts this year. The Gold Cup is always a tough race and one of the biggest races of the week, but we’re hoping for a very big run from him.
“Opera Singer was the leading two-year-old filly last year and was impressive when she won the Boussac. She was slightly in need of her comeback race in the Irish 1000 Guineas. We’re looking forward to getting her to Ascot, hopefully on some nicer ground. It’s a very deep Coronation, but we think she has a big chance.”
Moore, who got off the mark at Royal Ascot in 2008 aboard Colony for Sir Michael Stoute, is just two behind Frankie Dettori on the list for all-time winning-most jockey at the royal meeting.
He also highlighted some Ballydoyle two-year-olds he was looking forward to riding, including Camille Pissarro, who is 5-1 generally for the Coventry Stakes tonight.
“We have a good team of two-year-olds going into this year,” said Moore. “On the first day, we have a lovely son of Wootton Bassett, Camille Pissarro. He was beaten on his last start, but we expect him to come on for that.
“We also have Whistlejacket in the Norfolk. He’s Little Big Bear’s brother and is an exciting colt. He won a listed race at the Curragh last time and we expect him to be very competitive.
“I’m also looking forward to riding Fairy Godmother in the Albany Stakes. She won a trial at Naas a couple of weeks ago and we expect the Albany to suit her.
“We have a lovely Churchill filly, Heavens Gate, who won at the Curragh. We’re looking forward to a big run from her in the Queen Mary Stakes.”
-additional reporting, Racing Post
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
